Aspiring young gymnasts will relate to McKenna's ambitious dreams of becoming an Olympic star. Even non-gymnists will find common ground with her school problems and need for a tutor and the rivalry that grows when her childhood friend becomes jealous of McKenna's new friendship with her tutor. Though the music is somewhat intrusive and the situations a bit predictable, this is like the old after school specials with lots of good messages and events that echo kid's own experiences. McKenna's tutor is wheelchair bound and though she is older and wiser, McKenna learns a lot about friendship and supporting someone else's needs as the story develops. It also delivers a serious message that needing the help of others is noto something to be ashamed of at any age. This is a film for school aged kids, not preschoolers. I hr. 35 min.

Age: Early School Years, Later School Years.
Award Year: 2012.
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You get twenty award winning stories on these three DVD's. Among our favorites are The Snowy Day, Bear Snores, The Story about Ping, Make Way for Ducklings, Caps for Sale and so many more classics. A word of warning before you buy: many of these videos are only mildly animated and may look old-fashioned to cartoon savvy kids. On the otherhand, they are true to the illustrations of the books and have the added advantage of being viewed with or without text, so beginning readers can follow along or read with the sound off. In any case this is a good basic collection if you are building a film library for your children. 3 & up.

A good choice for keeping beginning reading skills alive and well during the summer. This collection has six of Mo Willems' stories in a 2-DVD set. It includes: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bis, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!, Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale, Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Missing Identity, Leonardo the Terrible Monster and Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed. These are not just funny and entertaining, the text on the screen will be good fun for beginning readers to follow. As always Willems' wry humor tickles the funny bone and the spare text are an unbeatable combination that will build a love of books and reading.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years.
Award Year: 2012.
Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.

Mo Willems and his family actually play the parts of the characters in three of his classic books: The Pigeon Finds a Hotdog, Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity, and Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed. These are not just funny and entertaining, the text on the screen will be good fun for beginning readers to follow. As always Willems wry humor tickles the funny bone and the spare text are an unbeatable combination that will build a love of books and reading.

Age: Preschool, Early School Years.
Award Year: 2012.
Click here to purchase the product on Amazon.com.